Fuel-regulator



R. H. IRVYNG. FUEL REGULATOR.

APPLICATION FILED IIAY28.19!9.

1,334,612; 7 Tatnted Mar.23, 1920.

OIL [Ml-ET In verzbor' fltiorngya' ROBERT H. IRVING, OF GRAJMEERGY, LOUISIANA.

FUEL-REGULATOR. 1

Application. filed May 28, 1919.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, Bonner H. IRVING, a citizen of the United States, residing at (iramercy, in the parish of St. James and State of Louisiana have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuel-Regulators, of which the following is a specilication.

The object of th present invention is to provide automatic means for avoiding waste in the consumption of liquid fuels and of the agent employed for the atomization of the same in a furnace. It is now the most general practice to control the supply of liquid fuel to burners by the use of regulating attachments frequently actuated by the draft damper but so far as I am aware no means have been provided for controlling the supply of the atomizin agent and a considerable quantity of such agent, which is generally steam, is forced into the hot boiler furnace. The entrance of this atomizing agent coupled with the entrance of cold air injected into the furnace causes a drop in the temperature of the furnace with a resulting loss of elliciency and consequent necessity for an increased COHSHIIIPlJlOlI of fuel to restore the temperature and the boiler pressure. My invention overcomes this objectionable lowering of the furnace temperature and also effects an economy of the liquid fuel by automatically cuttin off the supply when it is not needed and also effects an economy in the use of the steam or other atomizing agent. by cutting off i the same when the maximum pressure required has been reached in the boiler.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l an elevation of a device e1nbodyinp; my improvements; i

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same.

in carrying out the invention, I employ a main body or cylinder 1 which is provided centrally with a longitudinal bore or chamher 9 which. is reduced atone end, as shown at 3. to provide a passage which will fit closely around the regulating piston rod 4-. The passage 3 opens into an enlarged annular chamber ity of the body or main cylinder 1 and at the opposite end of saidcylinder or body the bore 2 opens into a chamber 6 of less di ameter than the chamber 5 but of greater diameter than the bore. In the inner end of Specification of Letters Patent.

5 in the adjacent extrem Patented Mar. 23, 192:0.

Serial No. 300,375.

the chamber 6 is a seat 7 which is preferably formed of a ring or bushlng 8, as shown. r a

.lhc piston rod 4: is shdabl y mounted in the passage 3 and extends into the chambers 5 and .6, as clearly shown, a guide 9 being provided approximately midway the bore 2 to support the piston rod, as shown and will be readily understood. The ends of the main cylinder or body 1 are of unequal diameters and are closed or covered by caps .10 and 11, respectively, provided centrally" with nipples or threaded ports 12 which receive the pipes atomizing agent, the chamber 5 constituting a fuel reservoir or receiving chamber, while the chamber 6 constitutes a steam-receiving chamber or reservoir. Upon the end of the piston rod within the chamber 5 is a large piston 18 which bears against the wall of said chamber and is adapted to cover the outlet port 14. The said port constitutes one end of a fuel passage 15 provided in the wall of the body or main cylinder and l1aving; a threaded terminal 16 to receive the end of the supply pipe carrying the fuel. to the lmrners. ln the side wall .of the cylinder, a steam outlet 17 is formed which receives the end of the pipe carrying the steam or other atomizing agent to the burners. Upon the end of the piston rod 47, within the chamber 6, I secure a piston 18' which is obviously of considerably less area than the piston 13 and is arranged in the path of the infiowing steam so as to receive the pressure therefrom. This piston is caused to engage the seat 7 by the steam pressure and thereby cut off the working flow of the atomizing agent, but it is also provided with a small port or perforation 1.9 which will permit the escape of a minute supply of the atomizing agent to the burner at all. times, the result beinp; that the atomizing' agent will. be admitted to the burners or the fire-box both before and after the flow of fuel has been cut-off and explosions due to an excessive accumulation of fuel within the fire-box is prevented. Between the piston guide 9 and the passage 3, I secure upon the piston rod the sealing pistons F20 and 21 which are provided with packing rings to bear upon the surface of the bore 2 and thereby prevent comminsling of any oil and steam which may happen to lealr into the bore.

It is thought the operation of the device will be readily understood. It will be noted carrying the fuel. and the Fig. 2, the piston 13 is port 14: so that the flow of fuel to the burn point,

that in the position of the parts shown in covering the outlet ers is cut-off, while the piston 18 is unseated and the flow'of the atomiz-ing agent may continue. This relative position of the parts is advantageous inasmuch as it causes the flow of the fuel to be cut-off before the flow of the atomizing agent is cut-01f, and therefore, all the fueladmitted to the burners will be vaporized. On the reverse movement of the parts, the flow of the atomizing agent will be established before the flow of the fuel begins and, therefore, when the. fuel enters the burners or the fire-box itiwill comminglewith the atomizing agent already present and will be thoroughly vaporized. The pressure of the steam upon the piston 18 tends to seat the same and as the piston 13 is in fixed relation to said piston 18 the seating movement of the latter will carry the piston .13 across the port 14 so that the flow of fuel will be positively cut-off and,- consequently, there will be no unnecessary consumption of fuel at the burners. As the steam pressure 'in the boilers is lowered, the pressure upon the piston 18 will be correspondingly lowered and the pressure of the fuel against the greater area .of the piston 13 will move the said piston so' as to uncover the port 14, whereupon the fuel will at once flow to the burners. The uncovering movement of the piston 13 will, of course, efi'ect the unseating of the piston 18 and the steam or other atomizing agent will be admitted to the burners so that the vaporization and burning of the fuel will be resumed and the furnace heated so as to again raise the steam pressure in the boilers to the desired My'device is obviously simple in the construction and arrangement of its parts and may be produced and installed at a very low cost. It is entirely automatic in operation'and after being installed will need very little or no attention, from the operator to maintain it in working order. By

, the use of the device, the flow of steam or other atomizing agent is automatically cutoff when the 'maxlmum pressure requlred hasbeen reached in the boiler and an appreciable saving in the use of the said agent results. In like manner a saving of fuel 18 effected and economic operation ofthe furnace is promoted.v The moisture and cold air heretofore admitted to the furnace while the fuel was not being used is eliminated and the temperature of the furnace ISHVGIYY easily kept up to the desired degree and a uniform' steam pressure maintained. Inasmuch as the atomizing agent 18 admitted to the burners or the fire-box both before the fuel is admitted and after it is cut-off and a minutequantity of the atomizing agent is constantly admitted to the fire-box, the formation of smoke is practically eliminated, and the liability of explosions, due to fuel dripping from the ends of the burners while the atomizing agent is cut-off, is overcome. The device may be employed in connection with furnaces of any type using liquid fuels such as crude oil, coal tar, kerosene or other hydrocarbons, and may be interposed at any convenient point of the pipes supplying the fuel and the atomizing agent to the burners. The working parts are entirely incloscd so that they are protected against chance blows and will need no attention for repairs except to occasionally renew packings which may become worn through long continued use.

While I have illustrated what I now believe to be the best embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the exact detailed construction shown in the drawings inasmuch as minor changes may be made therein without departing from the principles or scope of the invention as the same is defined in the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A fuel regulator comprising a body provided with means for the passage of fuel and of an atomizing agent, means to prevent commingling of the fuel and of the said agent within the body, and connected pistonsof unequal area exposed at their outer ends to the pressure of the fuel and the atomizing agent, respectively, and controlling the passage of the same.

2. A fuel regulator comprising a body having a fuel inlet and a fuel outlet and provided with means for the passage of an atomizing agent, a piston within the body arranged to cover the fuel outlet and having its outer end surface exposed to pressure of fuel admitted through the fuel inlet, means connected with said piston for transmitting thereto pressure of an atomizing agent in opposition to the pressure of the fuel, whereby the atomizing agent tends to cut off the flow of fuel, and means within the body to prevent commingling of the fuel and the atomizing agent.

3. A fuel regulator comprising a body constructed with means for the passage of fuel and of an atomizing agent, and pistons disposed within the body and exposed to the pressure of the fuel and the atomizing agent, respectively, said pistons being connected for simultaneous movement and of unequal area and so related that the flow of fuel. will be cut-off before the How of atomizing agent is cut-off and the flow of the atomizing agent will be set up before the flow of fuel is set up.

4. A fuel regulator comprising a cylinder provided with'means for the passage of fuel and of an atomizing agent, and means Within the cylinder for controlling the flow of the fuel and of the atomizing agent, said means being arranged to permit a constant minute flow of the atomizing agent.

5. A fuel regulator comprising a cylinder having chambers at its ends to receive fuel and an atomizing agent, respectively, inlets and outlets communicating With the said chambers, pistons disposed Within the re spective chambers to control the flow therethrough, and having their outer end surfaces exposed to pressure of the fuel and ato1niz ing agent respectively, the atomizing agent tending constantly to close the outlets and the fuel tending constantly to open the out lets, a piston rod connecting said pistons, and sealing means on the piston rod to prevent comnnngling of the fuel and the atomizing agent.

6. A fuel regulator comprising a cylinder having a longitudinal bore and provided at its ends with annular chambers communicating With said bore, a piston guide in the bore of the cylinder, an outlet for the atomizing agent leading from said bore, a fuel passage in the Wall of the cylinder at one end thereof communicating with the chanr her at said end, a piston rod extending through the bore of the cylinder, sealing means on said rod Within the bore, a piston on one end of the piston rod arranged to close the fuel passage, a valve seat in the chan'lber at the opposite end of the cylinder, a valve carried by the adjacent end of the piston rod to engage said seat and provided With a longitudinally extending perforation, and caps covering the opposite ends of the cylinder and provided with inlet ports for therethrough, and means Within the body exposed to and actuated by the opposed pressures of the fuel and the atomizing agent to control the flow of the same, the

pressure of the fuel tending constantly to establish flow of the fuel and the atomizing agent and the pressure of the atomizing agent tending constantly to cut off the flow of the fuel and the atomizing agent.

8. A fuel regulator comprising a body provided With a. fuel inlet in one end and a steam inlet in its opposite end and having fuel and steam outlets in its sides adjacent the respective inlets, means Within the body to prevent cominingling of the fuel and steam, a piston disposed Within the body near one end thereof and having its outer end sur face exposed to pressure of the fuel, and a second piston of less area than the first piston connected with the first piston for simultaneous movement in the same direction and disposed adjacent the opposite end of the body between the steam inlet and the steam outlet, theouter end surface of the second piston being exposed to steam pressure.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ROBERT H. IRVING. [Ls] 

